THE FAMILY of a young man who died in a police cell are demanding answers about his death.

Lee Donovan, 23, from Newport, died overnight between Friday and Saturday after being taken into Gwent Police custody in a cell in Pontypool police station.

But his devastated family still have no idea how he died and are calling for answers to help them cope with this sudden tragedy.

His uncle Michael Donovan told the Argus: "It is such a waste of life. His family are all totally devastated. We want some answers."

Relatives say Mr Donovan was on a night out in Newport when he was arrested at around 10.10pm. Police told the family he was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after an incident involving a car wing mirror.

He was taken to custody at Pontypool police station because the cells at Newport were being refurbished.

But, police told relatives, Mr Donovan collapsed in the cell during the night. Paramedics were called, but could not revive him.

Even now, the family still has no idea what caused his death.

His uncle said: "He was in good health and he was a fit lad. He went to the gym a couple of times a week.

"At one point he even wanted to join the army but couldn't because he was colourblind."

Gwent Police has referred the case to the Independent Police Complaints Commission and is making no further comment on the incident. The IPCC is due to release a statement in coming days.

An autopsy was carried out over the weekend and the family understands tests are still being done to establish the exact cause of death.

Lee Donovan grew up in Newport and went to Lliswerry High School. He worked as an apprentice for Hicks Wagons Transport, before helping his uncle with his landscape gardening business.

He planned to go back to college to train as a landscape gardener, with the goal of opening his own firm in the future.

He had three sisters and two brothers, and was part of a close family.

Mr Donovan said: "He was well-respected in the Newport area. He had a lot of friends and was very happy-go-lucky. He was just a lovely, hard-working lad.

"We were all totally shocked by this. It's a very stressful time."

The family is currently taking legal advice in a bid to speed up the process of getting information about how Mr Donovan died.